Brickmaking machine



Aug. 26, 1924. 1,506,221

R. P. M. DAVIS BRICKMAKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 4, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 26, 1924:. I

' R. P. M. DAVIS BRICKMAKING MACHINE Filed Oct, 4, 1922 5 sh ts-sh et 2 FE m I m f I Aug. 26, 924. 7

R. F. M. DAVIS BRICKMAKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 4-, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 26, may

R. P. M. DAVlS BRICKMAKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 4, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 R. P. M. DAVIS BRICKMAKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 4, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

ROY P. 1V1. DAVIS, OF MOUNT UNION, PENNSYLVANIA.

ZBRICKMAKING MACHINE.

Application filed October 4, 1922. Serial No. 592,227.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ROY P. M. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Mount Union, in the county of Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, has invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Brickmaking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to dump tables for automatic brick making machines wherein mold supports swingable about a horizontal axis to filling and dumping positions are employed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the dump table and mold arms supports;

Figure 3 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure t is an end elevation partly in section;

Figures block;

Figures members;

Figure 9 is a transverse section through the mold; and

Figure 10 is through the mold.

Referring more particularly to the drawings forming part of this specification and wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1, denotes the frame of the machine in which the feed hopper 2, is suitably mounted, anysuitable means (not shown) being employed to deliver brick making mud or material thereto.

Mounted on the base or floor 3, upon which the frame 1 rests, are pairs of sup porting brackets 4; and 5. Spanning the respective brackets of each pair, and suitably ournaled thereon are two parallel mold support shafts 6 and 7 respectively. The mold supports comprise pairs of spaced angularly shaped members 8 and 9 preferably castings, keyed to the shafts 6 and 7, and adapted to be oscillated at predetermined intervals about the axis of said shafts, as will presently more fully appear. There are two pairs of these supports for each unit of the machine, one pair of each set being identical with the other pair of the set with the exception that one pair is right hand and the other pair of that set left hand. These supports are provided with recesses 5 and 6 are details of bearing 7 and 8 are details of the channel a longitudinal section or sockets 10, in their upper normally horizontally disposed edges in which the ends of the molds 11, are seated, it being understood that each mold spans a pair of supporting brackets and is supported at its ends thereby. v

The molds 11, which are of rectangular shape and open at top and bottom are subdivided into a plurality of compartments 61, by means of partitions 52. Hook bolts-53, two at each end of the mold pass through the supports, and engage over rods 54, 8X- tending between and supported by opposite sides of the mold, thereby securely clamping the mold to its support. Nuts on the ends of the hook bolts lock the latter in place.

Slidably mounted on vertically disposed rods or bolts 56 mounted in the mold support is a plunger block 57, formed with a plurality of plungers 5S, normally projecting partially through the mold compartments 51. Adjustment of the plungers up wardly and downwardly in the compartments 61. regulates the thickness of the brick. This adjustment is made by means of bolts 59, passing through the mold support casting and engaging beneath the plunger block 57.

These plungers 58 are recessed in their heads to form steam chambers 70, brick heating pads or plates 71 which are secured to the heads of the plungers as by bolts 72 form the top wall of heating chamber and thebottom of the mold compartments. It is neces sary to heat the pads or plates 71 in order to prevent silica mud from adhering thereto, as will be appreciated.

Each steam chamber communicates with a short steam inlet or feed pipe 73 and a short steam outlet pipe 74: which in turn communicate with the steam inlet header 75 and the exhaust steam header 7 6 respectively. Control of the passage of the steam through the headers is had, by means of valves (not shown) suitably positioned in the headers. Consequently the pads 71 and through them the brick can be heated to'any desired temperature. If desired, the pads or plates 71 may be electrically heated by locating a suitable resistance element 77 beneath the pads to which element current is supplied from any source of current (not shown).

As previously stated the pads 71 form the bottom of the mold compartments and in consequence receive the charge of mud as the latter descends from the hoppers. Adjustment of the plungers 58 and heating pads or plates 71 carried thereby, upwardly or downwardly in the compartments 61 regu lates the depth or thickness of the brick.

The upper edges of the mold, including the partitions 52 are subject to great Wear which is compensated for as follows: As wear takes place the plunger is raised by means of screwing home bolts 15, threadedly mounted in the upper portion of the mold supports and arranged to engage with their upper ends the four lower corner edges of'the mold. If at times this wearing effect produces an irregular'siuface to the upper edge of the mold, then and then only, the mold is removed, resurfaced and then replaced and adjusted as previously described.

I The ejection of the bricks from the mold compartments automatically takes place as the mold supports are oscillated to dumping position. This is caused by the plunger block dropping by gravity towards the mold, it being noted that the plunger block is free to slide on the rods 58. This movement of the block precipitates the plungers 58, through the mold compartments, thereby ejecting the brick therefrom, onto the dump tables 16 and 17 hereinafter described.

As previously described the pairs of mold supports 8 and 9, (one pair for each unit) only one pair beingshown and described, are fixedly mounted upon the two parallel shafts 6 and 7, in turn supported on the supporting brackets 4 and 5. Fixed 011 corresponding ends of these shafts respectively are gears 12 and 13, which mesh with opposite sides of a large gear 14, fixed on a shaft 65 in turn mounted in suitable bear ings in the frame 1. The shaft 65 is intermittently oscillated to and fro about an angle of ninety degrees by any suitable means (not shown). As the large gear 14. has 64 teeth and the gears 12 and 13 have 32 teeth, and consequently the gear ratio being as two to one, the gears 12 and 13 will make a half revolution for every quarter revolution of the gear 14, thus causing the mold supports to move from filling to dumping positions and vice versa according to the direction in which the gear 14, is moving, at each ninety degree movement of the shaft 65.

Assuming the mold supports 8 and 9 to be in Figure 1 position, in which position the mold in support 9, has just received a charge of material from the hopper 2,

and a pallet 51 has been placed on the mold, rotation of the large gear 14, in an. anticlockwise direction causes the shaft 7, and mold support 9, to move in a clockwise direction to dumping position. Atthe same time the shaft 6,]and mold support 8, will move in a similar direction to the filling position just vacated by the mold support 9. I

Each imitis provided with a pair of what may be termed dump tables 16 and 17 one for each mold. These tables which are of rectangular shape and open at top and bottom comprise side channels 18, and end channels 19, suitably connected together by bolts 20. Positioned within and projecting above the upper open end of the tables and secured to the end channels 19, are a pair of pallet supporting plates 21. The side channels 18, project beyond the end channels to receivetherebetween bearing blocks 22, bolts 23, securing the blocks in place. These bearing blocks slid-ably engage within the guide slots 24, formed in the supporting brackets 4 and 5. The outerreduced end portions of the bearing blocks swing-1 ingly support depending links 26, which in turn support the ends of shafts 27. These shafts extend through the tables and through suitable rock beams such as channel bars 28, at each side of the tables, bearing blocks 49, on opposite sides of the chan-' nels being employed for an obvious pur' pose. I Y

The tables for each mold, two in number,

are alternately raised and lowered in'uni son with the mold support movements by means of the channel bars 28, when, the'latter are rocked by the shaft 29, to the opposite ends of which the channel bars are fixed intermediate their ends, the openings 30,in the bearing blocks 22, through which the shafts 27, extend being sufficiently large to permit of the necessary play incident to this movement.

The shafts 29, there being one for each unit, have fixed thereto at one end a depending crank arm 31. connected to a bifurcated-finger 32, through the medium of the connecting rod 33. This fingeris pivotally mounted on the finger shaft 34, which in turn is mounted at its ends in the supporting bracket 5.

Mounted in the base frame or bracket 5, directly above the finger shaft 84, is a cam shaft 35, to which is fixed a sleeve 36, carrying two spaced. cams 37 and 38, of somewhat similar shape and size but being differently positioned on the sleeve. The cam shaft 35, is continuously driven from any suitable power (not shown). As themold supports 8 and 9 are being swung to the relative positions illustrated in Figure 2, the cam shaft 35, is being continuously rotated in .a' clockwise direction, and the cams 37 and 38 thereon which are also continuously rotated in' a i clockwise direction engage respectively the rollers 39 and 40, on the bifurcations of finger 32, thereby causing the dump tables on opposite ends of the channel bars 28, to alternately rise and fall. 'The cam 37, first engages the roller 39, thus actuating the finger 32, in an anti-clockwise direction, and finger 32, being pivotally connected at its lower end to the rod 33, in turn connected to the crank arm 31 on anvil shaft 29, the shaft 29, will be rotated in an anti-clockwise direction, thereby in turn causing the dump table 16 to be elevated into Figure 2 posi tion to receive the pallet and brick thereon from mold support 9. The cam 37, then rides clear of the roller 39, as the cam 38, comes into engagement with the roller 40. Further movement of the cam 38, causes the finger 32, to be moved in a reverse or clockwise direction, thus rocking the shaft 29, in clockwise direction, whereupon the mold table 16 will be lowered to deposit its pallet and brick upon a conveyor to be presently described, while at the same time the dump table 17, is being elevated into position to receive the pallet and brick carried by the mold support 8. When in filling position the mold supports rest upon rotary anvils 50 loosely mounted in the shafts 29, these anvils absorbing the shock of descending material from the feed hopper 2.

Positioned between opposite sides of the supporting brackets 4 and 5 are pairs of two strand endless rope bricln conveyors 41 and 42, one pair for each unit. The conveyor 41 comprises endless ropes 43 passing over pulleys 44, the upper flight of the ropes being continuously driven towards the left Figure 2, by any suitable source of power (not shown). The conveyor 42, comprises endless ropes 45 passing over pulleys 46, the upper flight of the ropes being continuously driven toward the right Figure 2, also by any suitable source of power (not shown). As the dump tables descend, the pallets and bricks deposited thereon by the mold supports, engage the conveyor ropes and are lifted off the dump tables, or rather are deposited upon the conveyor ropes as the tables continue their descent between the ropes, and are thence carried outward from the center of the machine to a point (not shown) where the finished brick are placed on cars to be transferred to the dryers.

What I claim as my invention, is:

1. In a brick making machine, a pair of pivoted mold supports and molds carried thereby, means for feeding a charge of mud alternately to the molds to form brick therein, means for simultaneosuly rocking said mold supports in opposite directions to filling and dumping positions respectively, a pair of vertically movable dumping tables one for each mold support, upon which the mold supports alternately deposit the brick carried thereby, means for simultaneously elevating one table and lowering the other, a brick conveyor, said tables when elevated receiving the brick from said mold support, and when lowered depositing the brick upon said conveyor, the movements of said mold supports and tables being in synchronism.

2. In a brick making machine, pivoted mold supports, means for rocking the mold supports to filling and dumping positions respectively, a rocking dump table support, a dump table attached to each end of said last mentioned support, and means for rocking said support to alternately bring said tables toward said mold supports.

'3. In a brick making machine having mold supporting means, a dump table support beneath said mold supporting means having grooves therein, a dump table, bearing blocks attached to the ends of said tables and slidably seated in said grooves, and means for sliding said table up and down in said grooves.

4. A brick making machine including a material feeding mechanism, a pivoted mold support, a pair of brick ejecting molds on said support and means for rocking said support on its pivot to move said molds to and from a common position to receive material from said mechanism and to different positions to eject the brick, and means for automatically conveying the ejected brick from said ejecting positions.

5. In a brick making machine a vertically movable brick molding mechanism and means for normally supporting the same including a rotatable element on which the mechanism normally rests.

6. In a brick making machine a vertically swinging brick molding mechanism and means for normally supporting the same including a rotatable element on which the mechanism normally rests.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROY P. M. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

A. G. WALLETT, F. L. ARoHnY. 

